Utility truck



Patented Dec. 11, 1945 UNITED STATES OFFICE UTILITY TRUCK Edward Wolf, Stockton, Calif.

Application April 6, 1942, Serial No. 437,750

1 Claim.

This invention relates to utility trucks for Various purposes, and has been particularly designed for use in a Cannery to transport can-loaded trays from one point to another about the cannery, as well as to remove individual trays from and place the same on the elevated supporting rails or similar members such as are commonly used.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a power operated, manually controlled truck for this purpose which enables the lifting of a loaded tray and the transportation of the same about the plant, to be effected with a minimum of physical effort on the part of the operator, and so that operations generally `may be eXpedited and facilitated.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following speciiication and claim.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved truck showing the tray-supporting carrier in its raised position.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary and somewhat diagrammatic top plan view of the rear end portion of the truck.

Figure 3 is a top plan of the carrier detached.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. l, showing particularly the drive mechanism for the various moving parts.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the carrier with a deep tray supported thereon and showing the same retained against longitudinal movement.

Figure 6 is a similar view showing a shallow tray as supported and held on the carrier.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the truck comprises a low-hung main frame which includes spaced side beams I, the frame being supported adjacent its forward end by small wheels or rollers 2 and adjacent its rear end by castors 3.

Disposed over the forward portion of the truck frame is the carrier, of a size to support a standard Cannery tray, The carrier comprises a rectangular frame 4 supported on its sides by pairs of pivoted depending parallel arms 5 Which are pivotally supported in connection with the beams I on the outside of the same. The carrier includes a series of transversely longitudinally spaced tray supporting rollers 6 mounted in the sides of the frame 4. At the rear end of the carrier frame, a transverse stop bar 'I is disposed some distance above the rollers, while a rod 8 is disposed above and back of said bar; the bar and rod being both supported by arms 9 rigid with the carrier frame at the sides thereof.

The bar is substantially on a level with the top of a shallow tray I0 supported on the rollers 6 and is oriced at intervals to receive one leg of any desired number of inverted U-shaped retainers II adapted to straddle the adjacent end of the tray when the .latter abuts the bar, as shown in Fig. 6. This prevents longitudinal shifting of the tray on the rollers while the truck is being moved about, and avoids the necessity of the operator having to use care in steering the truck or in so controlling its movement as to keep the tray from sliding 01T. Similarly when a deep tray Illa is mounted on the carrier and abuts the stop bar, it is retained against longitudinal shifting by one or m'ore hook-like members I2 swung on the rod B, as shown in Fig. 5. y Transversely spaced uprights I3 are mounted on the frame beams I at their rear end, and are braced against longitudinal deflection by forwardly projecting angle members Ill, which terminate at their forward end backA of the carrier and at their rear end project beyond the top of the uprights and are connected at said end by a turnable handle rod I5 by means of which the truck is steered along the iioor. f

A winch drum I6, for permanent disengageable connection with a hauling line, such as is indicated at L, is mounted on the members I4 rearwardly of and above the carrier. This winch enables the line to be run forward, engaged with a tray some distance ahead of the truck and carrieras when the tray is in an exhauster or the likeand said tray to be then pulled along until it is on and entirely supported by the carrier.

In order to propel the truck, raise and lower the carrier, and operate the winch when desired, and to control all such operations from a point adjacent and behind the truck (where the operator normally has his stand) I provide the following mechanism:

Mounted on an elevated platform I1, supported. from the truck frame adjacent its rear end, is a power plant which is preferably a small gas engine I8, disposed with its axis lengthwise of the truck. This engine is belt-connected to a forwardly facing friction Wheel I9 which is mounted on a shaft 20 extending lengthwise of the truck below the engine and slidable in journal bosses 2| mounted on a platform P connecting the beams I. The wheel I9 is adapted to be engaged by a friction disc 22 disposed atright angles to the wheel and slidably splined on a transverse shaft 23 turnably supported from the beams I.

A chain drive 24 which includes a sprocket 25 turnable on the shaft 23 and having a clutch element 26 thereon, connects the shaft 23 and one wheel 2. Another chain drive 2l which includes a sprocket 28 turnable on the shaft 23 and having a clutch element 29 thereon, connects the shaft 23 and the winch drum I6. The clutch elements 26 and 29 face each other in spaced relation and are adapted to separately cooperate with a fixed clutch element 30 mounted on the shaft 23 therebetween.

Another chain drive 3l, ywhich includes a sprocket 32 turnable on the shaft 23 and having a clutch element 33 thereon, connects the shaft 23 and another transverse shaft 34 ahead, the element 33 being adapted to cooperate with a clutch element 35 xed on shaft 23. Another transverse shaft 36 is journaled in' the carrier frame ahead of the shaft 34 and has a crank 31V on one end which is connected to the carrier frame by a connecting rod 33 between said crank and a transverse rod 39 on the carrier in horizontally spaced relation to shaft 36. The shafts 36 and 34 are connected in driving relation by bevel gearing 4I] and worm gearing 4I, arranged so that great power is transmitted to the shaft 36 and the, latter cannot rotate in a reverse direction when influenced by a weight on the carrier. The throw of the crank 3l is such that the carrier may be fully raised and lowered by a continuous rotation of the shaft 36, the arms 5 of course-oscillating back and forth as the carrier thus moves.

Longitudinal movement of the friction Wheel shaftr 20, to bring the friction wheel into driving engagement with the friction disc 22, is accomplished by means of a horizontal lever 42 pivoted at one end on the platform P and engaging intermediate its ends with the rear end of the shaft 2D, as shown in Fig. 4, and extending to adjacent one upright I3. Here it is engaged by a spring 42a which normally tends to hold it out of engagement4 with the shaft 20. A vertical lever 43 is pivoted intermediate its ends as at 43a on said upright and engages at its lower end with the corresponding end ofthe lever 42 so as to push the same forwardly against the resistance of the nspring 42a and thus advance the shaft 20. At its upper end the lever '43 is connected by a link 44 with a depending arm 40a xed on the handle rod I5, so that rotation of said rod in one direction will advance the lower end of the lever 43. 'Ihe handlerod I5 is the instrumentality whereby the truck is Isteered by the operator, and by connecting said rod with the power transmitting wheel I9, the power drive from said engine to any part can be instantly stopped or started without the operator having to take his hands from the handle.

The disc 22 is connected to an upstanding shift fork 45 depending from a sleeve 46 slidable on a transverse fixed rod 4l. This sleeve is connected by a transverse link 48 to the lower end of an upstanding operating lever 49 which is pivoted intermediate its ends on a cross bar 50, connecting the members, said lever terminating in an operating knob 5I` disposed below but relatively close to the handle I5. In this manner the disc 22 may be shifted along the shaft 23 a-s it is desired to change the speed of said shaft and also its direction of rotation, since the disc is arranged so that it can pass across the center of the friction Wheel I9l The clutch elements 26, 29, and 33 are independently shifted by suitably arranged lever and rod units 52, 53, and 54 respectively, all terminating in operating handles or levers 55 mounted in connection with said units on the corresponding uprights I3 or member I4 in positions convenient for operation by a person standing immediately behind or adjacent the truck.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have produced a utility truck which may be easily and quickly controlled in all its movements by the operator guiding the truck' from behind, without any shifting of his position, and with but a minimum of manual movement and effort necessary to control the functioning of the various parts of the truck. y iWhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail'may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim. n

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and Letters Patent is: n

In a utility truck which includes a frame having side uprights at its rear end and a rotatable transverse handle bar for manipulating the truck mounted in connection with the uprights; wheels supporting the frame, friction drive means for one wheel including a friction drive wheel, a horizontal shaft rigid with said drive wheel and extending lengthwise of the frame to a terminat1on adjacent the rear end of the same, bearings in which said shaft is slidable Vand turnable, a horizontal transverse lever pivoted on the frame and crossing and engaging the rear end, of the shaft, a vertical lever pivoted intermediate its ends on one upright and at its lower end engaging the free end of the horizontal lever, an arm rigid with and depending from the bar substantially in line with the lever and a link connecting said arm and the vertical lever.

EDWARD WOLF.

desire to secure by upper end of the vertical 

